Automation is a necessity, not inessential. While traditional IT disaster recovery (IT DR) consists of lengthy and complex processes with manual and interdependent tasks, businesses are transforming IT DR with automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
This article overviews Cutover’s recent IT disaster recovery survey automation results, key benefits of IT disaster recovery (IT DR) automation, how runbook automation software can help and concludes with predictions for IT DR automation in 2025.
The growing need for IT disaster recovery automation
Businesses know they need to increase investment in IT disaster recovery automation and see the wide ranging benefits. However, automation barriers persist and maturity with disaster recovery procedures varies greatly. Let’s look at the IT disaster recovery survey, automation results and analysis.
Challenges in traditional IT DR
Traditional IT disaster recovery brings benefits in helping your organization remain resilient during IT outages. However, challenges do persist.
Traditional IT DR often consists of lengthy manual processes consisting of hundreds or thousands of tasks. Many of the tasks are interdependent, requiring support from multiple databases, networks, applications and business teams. All of this leads to increased complexity and lengthens the mean time to recovery (MTTR).
Key survey findings on automation in IT DR
Cutover’s recent IT DR survey reveals that maturity and use of automation in IT DR procedures varies across enterprises. Businesses understand they need to increase the investment in DR automation and see the benefits, but barriers persist.
Maturity in IT DR automation
Maturity with disaster recovery procedures varies across businesses with only 1 in 7 claiming to be ‘optimized’ with a fully integrated recovery tech stack. While most enterprises recognize the need to add automation to their IT disaster recovery processes, 33% state their organization is less mature when it comes to incorporating automation into their IT disaster recovery processes.
Planning mode for IT DR automation
While businesses haven’t automated many elements of IT disaster recovery, more than half have already automated communication and collaboration. Communication is such a critical element during a recovery process, it’s no surprise that this is the leading automation element businesses have prioritized.
Manual repetitive tasks is the next automated element and the most likely to be automated with 41% planning to automate in the next 12 months.
And, despite 39% of enterprises being concerned about compliance and regulatory penalties, only one-third have already automated post event reporting and regulatory audit logs.
Best-in-class IT DR automation
While there is no single outlier in responses, enterprises focused on process when identifying the top three characteristics of best-in-class IT DR automation. Frequent review of strategy, regular automated DR testing and execution and an end-to-end focus highlights that it’s not just a technology or tool that makes automation best-in-class, it’s the overall strategy, frequency of review and comprehensive nature of automation that truly make it best-in-class.
The top five characteristics include:
- Frequent review of DR strategy and processes
- Regular testing and exercising DR plans
- End-to-end focus encompassing evaluation, design, management, monitoring, reporting and governance
- Education for IT and cloud resilience stakeholders
- Continuous awareness and real time monitoring
Biggest benefits of IT DR automation
The top three perceived benefits of automation are improved IT staff productivity, improved efficiency and profitability, and reduced recovery costs. As you can see illustrated in the graph below, there is no single outlier. Enterprises perceive a variety of benefits from incorporating automation.
Barriers to IT DR automation still persist
Despite businesses understanding the need to increase investment in IT disaster recovery automation and the perceived benefits, objections remain. At the top of the list, companies cite skills needed as the biggest barrier to automating IT DR. The next two barriers are around knowing how and where to use AI and where to focus automation efforts. This illustrates the impact (and challenges) that automation has on people.
Predictions for IT DR automation in 2025 and beyond
Compared to the 2023 IT disaster recovery survey, businesses still think that disaster recovery needs to be more automated within the next 12 months to avoid any serious consequences. 82% of businesses recognize that they need to increase investment in IT DR automation.
AI will also play a big role in transforming IT disaster recovery. Businesses believe:
- AI will transform the design of disaster recovery plans (77%)
- AI will transform the execution of disaster recovery plans (76%)
Looking ahead, predictions for 2025 suggest that IT DR automation will continue to evolve rapidly, with increased integration of AI and other emerging technologies, further revolutionizing the way disaster recovery is planned and executed.
The role of automated DR testing
IT DR testing is a critical component to ensuring resilience. As a best practice, Cutover recommends executing a disaster recovery simulation for each application at a minimum of once per year. A simulation provides the best example in a near-real life setting.
With 67% of enterprises performing regular testing and execution with integrations to IT service management (ITSM) and configuration management database (CMDB) systems, enterprises understand the importance of regular IT DR testing.
Survey analysis and what it means for IT professionals
Skills needed to support a more automated approach was cited as the top barrier to automating IT disaster recovery in an organization. Coupled with over one-third of enterprises citing budgetary constraints as a key barrier - pressure on IT professionals could increase.
Also, as stated above, businesses perceive that automation will improve IT staff productivity, improve efficiency and profitability and reduce recovery costs. All of these positively impact IT professionals and potentially reduce added pressures.
Analysis of results
The analysis of the IT disaster recovery survey’s automation findings shows that organizations understand they need to increase investment in IT disaster recovery automation, and realize the multitude of business benefits. However, the barriers to automation persist with the leading barrier to automation being skills.
Actionable takeaways
Enterprises understand they need to prepare to take advantage of automation, and anticipate AI to impact IT DR processes in the next 2-3 years. Based on our findings, here are some takeaways for IT professionals:
- Prioritize specific automation tools and ways to use it
- Upskill current staff or find people with automation and AI skillsets
- Put a strategic focus on IT DR and plan your budgetary needs
- Consider what applications to put in the cloud
- Evaluate partners and vendors considering future cloud application, automation and AI needs
Enhance IT DR automation with Cutover runbooks
Automation brings significant impact to a business, increasing employee productivity and efficiency.
Cutover’s runbook automation can help get you there faster, reducing IT DR execution time by 50%, on average. Book a demo or learn more about Cutover’s IT disaster recovery solution.